Sounding board for pianofortes



( L) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.- C MAND SOUNDING BOARD FOR PIANOFORTES.

No. 551,868. Patented Dec. 24, 1895.

KNEW lRAHAM. PIOTO'UTHOVWASMINGTON DC UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL MAND, OF COBLENTZ, GERMANY.

SOUNDING-BOARD FOR PIANOFORTES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 551,868, dated December24:, 1895. Application filed November 19, 189 1. Serial No. 529,268. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CARL MAND, of Coblentz, in the Kingdom of Prussia,Germany, have invented an Improved Sounding-Board for Pianofortes andother Stringed Musical Instruments, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a sounding-board for pianos and other stringedmusical instruments, which is of increased strength and is corrugated ina peculiar manner, so as to harmonize with the sound-waves.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a bottom view of my improvedsounding board; Fig. '2, a cross-section on line B B, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, alongitudinal section on line S S, Fig. 1; Fig. l, a cross-sectionthrough one of the ribs A; Fig. 5, a bottom view of a sounding-boardwith broad and narrow corrugations and provided with the ribs Fig. 6, atop view of the same; Fig. 7, a section on line N N, Fig. 5 and Fig. 8,a section on line M M, Fig. 5.

My improved sounding-board is of a size and configuration to correspondto the size and form of the grand piano, upright piano, or otherinstrument into which it is to be placed. The surface of thesounding-board is made undulating or corrugated, it being composed ofthe alternate elevations and depressions B and C. The corrugations aresmaller and are placed nearer together at the high strings than at thebass strings, so as to harmonize with the sound-waves.

The undulations B 0 give to the sounding'board an increased stability,an increased area of sounding-surface, and a greater beauty and fullnessof tone. the upper surface of the sounding -board, Fig. 6, while Isecure reinforcing-ribs A to its lower surface D, Fig. 5, such ribsbeing preferably T-shaped in cross-section.

It will be seen that by its configuration and the use of thereinforcing-ribs the soundingboard is greatly strengthened, so that itcan more effectively withstand the tension of the strings. In this waythe instrument will be able to hold its tone far better than thesounding-boards heretofore in use, which were apt to become bent orotherwise injured by the enormous strain produced by the strings.Moreover, the peculiar shape of the sounding-board renders itparticularly sensitive to receive and propagate the tone-waves, whichare thus greatly strengthened and beautified.

WVhat I claim is- A sounding board for stringed musical instruments,provided with a corrugated surface, the corrugations being smaller andplaced nearer together at one end, than at the other end, substantiallyas specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CARL MAND.

Witnesses FRITZ SOHRoDER, L. RINAU.

The bridge is secured to

